Fever
by Singer1108
Summary: Levy has fallen ill and is resting in the Fairy Tail infirmary with an unnatural illness. With the help of Lily, can Gajeel discover the secret of it all in time before he loses her for good?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I apologize in advance if this seems rather short and somewhat unsatisfying. It was a quick drabble I did on my iPhone. It has been a long while since I have written a story, so i may be a little rusty. With that in mind, I do, however, hope you enjoy!**

**I don't own Fairy Tail or any of the characters involved. **

**This story is strictly fan made. **

Levy looked at Gajeel sweetly, her eyes glossed over with exhaustion.

"You know," she began "I have every reason in the world not to trust you after what you did to me and my team. But there's something...odd about you. Something that tells me I need to not run away. That I don't have anything to be afraid of anymore."

"But you should be," Gajeel replied, a hint of trepidation in his voice.

"But I'm not." She said with a small yawn.

"Stockholm syndrome."

"What?"

"Stockholm syndrome. That's what you're sick with." He repeated, a slight smile spreading on his face.

"Don't even joke about that, I'm being serious here!" Levy piped, her pink cheeks becoming a little darker. "You have given me more than enough reason to trust that you'll never hurt me again."

Gajeel began to shift uncomfortably in his chair, his own cheeks beginning to darken.

"But I'm the bad guy," he said.

"No, you WERE the bad guy." Levy corrected." But that's not who you are anymore. You have done so much for everyone, and even more for me. I mean, you could be anywhere right now, but instead you're sitting here with me in the infirmary. If you were really still the bad guy, you wouldn't be here right now. You wouldn't show any concern for me at all."

Gajeel could feel the heat rising on his face. He quickly turned his head away from her, scratching the back of his neck.

"Never thought I'd be the bad guy gone good," he muttered.

"Remember the time we were at the water park?" She continued. "Going down the slide? You were clinging on to me and holding me close to you. I even said that I didn't mind if people saw us together like that. Although, I don't know that you heard me, but, It made me happy. And remember when we were on the island? When you told me to not leave your side? It was then that I realized that there was definitely something different about you. I could tell that you were actually pretty worried about me, even though you didn't really know how to express it. But I know now that you wouldn't do anything to hurt me again. Because you do care. Black steel Gajeel actually does have a heart in that chest of his!" She chimed, a bright smile breaking on her face.

"Levy, I-"

"I like you a lot, Gajeel." She interrupted, her eyes beginning to shut. Gajeel could tell she was on the edge of falling asleep.

"I like you too, shrimp." He said quietly.

"Nah, like isn't a good enough word." Levy said absentmindedly. "I think...it's more like...I ..."

He stated down at her, smiling bigger than he had intended. Reaching across the bed, he grabbed the sheets and carefully pulled them up over Levy's body, stopping at her shoulders. Her blue hair was spread wildly across the pillow, her face pale with the only color coming from her cheeks. Although she ill and now fast asleep, Gajeel still found her to be beautiful. He let out a small sigh while grabbing the damp towel out of the water bucket placed at her bedside. Wringing it out thoroughly, he turned towards his shrimp, Dropping a small kiss on her dainty forehead before placing the towel down upon it.

"You idiot," he thought to himself. "Once that fever breaks, I doubt you'll remember that you just said any of that."


	2. Chapter 2 - Uncovered

That was three weeks ago.

Gajeel sat in his house, head back on the couch with his eyes closed. He had spent every day at the infirmary since then, refusing to leave the bedside of his bluenette. If it weren't for the threats of Mirajane and Erza, he would still be there, holding her small hand in his and whispering sweet nothings in her ear.

But she wasn't waking up.

And he couldn't bear it.

He let his thoughts wander back to her. It seemed like only yesterday she was sitting with those two idiots at a bench in the Fairy Tail guild hall, smiling and laughing away about who knows what. Gajeel couldn't help but let a small smile break on his own face while thinking about that memory. It was that smile that helped to give him the power to change who he was. And he would do anything to make sure he saw it again.

The iron dragon let out an exasperated sigh as the familiar sound of tiny footsteps reached his ears.

"I see you're back,"

"Only because they made me leave," Gajeel replied. "I really don't want to be here."

"So, how is she?" Lily inquired, hopping up on to the couch next to his dragon companion.

"Same as before, they don't know what's wrong. Not even that old hag could get her to wake up. And the fever, it's not breaking. Damn it, why did they make me leave?! " Gajeel retorted, slamming his fist on the arm of the couch.

"I'm sure they're doing their best, for both you and her." Lily said. "But it bothers me the most that Levy's fever is still there. It never goes down, but it never goes up any higher either. It stays constant."

"Your point?" the dragon growled.

"I'm thinking it's not a natural illness Levy is suffering with. What exactly was she doing out on that last mission of hers?"

"According to the goons, she was out trying to translate ancient runes that appeared on some old guys property on the edge of town," Gajeel explained, pinching the bridge of his nose slightly. "And when she came back, she quickly got sick."

Lily looked away from Gajeel, a paw on his chin as he pondered the information.

"You should really go see her, Lily. I'm sure she misses you cuddling up to her every night, you big softy. Where have you been, anyway?"

"I was trying to convince Carla to let Wendy use her magic to see if that would help Levy recover, but she doesn't seem to want the child use any more of her powers than she has to. However, upon hearing this news, I might have an idea as to what this sickness is, but I think we need to run it past Makarov first," Lily said softly. "It's just a guess, but I may know something."

Gajeel sat up abruptly, causing the Exceed to jump slightly. "What do you mean you MAY know!? Do you have any idea how many days and nights I've stayed up worried sick about the damn Shrimp?! What exactly do you know?! Spill it, you damn cat!"

Lily jumped down off the couch, small white wings appearing on his back.

"I will, in due time. Right now, we need to get to the guild and talk to the master as soon as possible. I'll explain once we get there. You'll understand everything then."

X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Lily clung to the back of Gajeel's clothes as they flew over the town of Magnolia at top exceed speed. It was only moments before they arrived at the guild doors, and burst inside.

"Where's the old man!?" Gajeel shouted, eliciting many surprised looks.

It was Erza who spoke first.

"It hasn't even been two hours, and you're back here already? I thought we told you to go home, Redfox?"

"Not now, Scarlet, this is important!"

"Do what she says, you big lug nut!" Jet said, appearing behind the Titania.

"Yeah, go home! Your face is probably what's keeping Levy sick!" Droy chimed in.

"Now isn't the time for this! Lily said he might know something about her illness! We NEED to see Makarov! God damn it, WHERE IS HE?!"

"I'm afraid this has become a matter of life and death," Lily interjected, stepping out from behind Gajeel in his full form.

Erza took two steps back, her face going from frustration to concern. "Has it become that bad?"

"I can't say for sure, but I'm afraid it might if we don't do something about it soon," he said calmly.

"The master is in the infirmary with Levy," Mira suddenly said, a soft smile on her face. "Go on ahead, I'm sure he's expecting you."

Gajeel nodded as a token of thanks and jogged his way to the back of the guild, Lily following closely behind. It was only seconds later before they reached the familiar door. Gajeel reached for the handle, only to have it quickly snagged out of reach as the door opened wide, with the tiny Makarov on the other side.

"Old man," Gajeel said quickly "Lily, he said he knows something about-"

"Master Makarov, I believe we have an extremely serious issue on our hands that I may be able to shed some light on," Lily cut in.

"I have no reason to doubt you. Go on, I'm listening," Makarov said, ushering the two inside.

"I've been told that Levy went out on a mission to translate some runes, is this correct?" Lily asked, taking a seat on the small girls bedside.

"Yes, that's right. According to the one who posted the job, they were located on his property on the outskirts of town. I actually returned from his place a few moments ago thought i would do a little investigating myself."

"Was there anything off about the runes that you could see?" Lily asked. "Anything at all? Shape, smell, color?"

"Actually, yes. I've never seen runes like that before. They were written in a language unfamiliar to me, and the lettering began to glow an ominous green the closer I got to them. I could feel myself getting weaker with every step I took."

"I should have known," Lily said angrily, clenching his paws into fists.

"What's going on, Lily?" Gajeel asked.

"Back on Edolas, we had a scientist who specialized in making magic items with special runes to assist the townspeople with everyday menial tasks. They were extremely popular, sold at every market for the cost of a child's allowance. However, over time, the runes began to break down and the magic inside of them began to counteract with the peoples immune systems, poisoning them in a way. There were lots of incidents recorded of people suddenly falling ill and taking on high fevers just before falling into a coma, which several people never woke up from." He explained quickly.

"Are you saying Levy got her hands on one of those things!?" Gajeel exclaimed.

"It's very possible, yes. If you recall, everything that contained magic on Edolas did come over here to Earthland."

"There is one thing that I am a little confused about in this matter. This magic, if you wish to call it that, acted as a poison to those who did not posess it. So, if in fact these runes are from Edolas, why would it also poison someone who has magic already within them?" Makarov asked.

"My theory on that seems a little too simple, but the fact that Levy is such a small girl, and is rather dainty, it's my belief that her body was more or less overexposed to the magic, and is now having a similar reaction to someone who doesn't have any magic at all." Lily stated. "However, Gajeel, to fully answer your previous question, I doubt she took the runes for herself. As I said, if my theory is correct, Levy was exposed to the contaminated magic for entirely too long and is now suffering from the severe sickness it's caused."

"How to we get rid of it!?" Gajeel asked, sounding slightly annoyed with his partners lengthy explanations.

"That, my friend, is where you come in," Lily said, a fearsome smile breaking on his face.

* * *

**Thank you everyone for following along with this! Originally, this story was not going to be a multi chapter, but i changed my mind due to the reviews and follows on both here and Tumblr. Anyway, I will do my best to update this as often as i possibly can. I do work almost 60 hours a week, so it get's a little hard, but I promise for the sake of you who are reading this that I will do my very best to not let you down! **

**Stay tuned! **


	3. Chapter 3 - Save the one, Save the All

"I don't know if I like that smile," Gajeel said wearily, raising an eyebrow at his companions unusual expression.

"Believe me, it is not one of malicious intent," Lily joked. "This is a smile of someone who knows that this is going to work. You're very much going to end up _someone's _knight in shining armor."

"Don't be ridiculous," Gajeel retorted, his cheeks taking on a rosy tint. "Just tell me what it is I need to do."

"Of course, straight to the point, I get it," Lily replied, clearing his throat, face turning back to one of a serious manner. "There was an ulterior motive to gathering everyone in Magnolia and turning them into lacrima. It was known by the people of the government that the only way to handle the situation with the contaminated magic was to basically nullify it. And the only way to nullify it was to dilute it with stronger magic. Basically, they were attempting to create 'Anti-magic' magic. However, there was one little...something they didn't account for."

"Are you referring to the Dragon Slayers?" Makarov asked.

"That is it exactly, yes. The sudden appearance of Gajeel, Wendy and Natsu made the government realize they had made a terrible mistake. There's something special about the magic of a Dragon Slayer that made them completely immune to the rune's magic. I have a feeling Carla knew this as well, and that is probably why she's keeping the Sky Dragon from assisting us."

"Why would she do that?! Carla knew Levy's life would be in danger, and yet she didn't let the kid help?!" Gajeel shouted angrily.

"Calm down, Gajeel. There is a very good reason for that."

"And what might that be?"

Lily stood slowly off the bed, making sure not to disturb the bluenette, and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath before speaking again.

"Carla knows just as much as I that the effects of Dragon Slayer magic on these runes have not actually been tested. So there are obviously no reports of it actually succeeding in nullifying the contamination. Even if Wendy were to help, her desire to save Levy isn't as strong as yours. Not to say that she doesn't care. Basically, it would be a waste of effort on her behalf. I could be mistaken, but I'm assuming that the only way to help her is to infuse her with your own magic. Of course, there's always a chance that giving Levy too much of your magic would hurt her in the end. For you to do this means having absolute control over your powers, without faltering." Lily stopped and looked his partner dead in the eye.

"There isn't a Dragon Slayer in Fiore who is capable of doing this, other than you, Gajeel. The bond the two of you share is deeper than you realize. And you know just as much as I do that you want to be the one she see's when she wakes up."

Gajeel looked away from his companion to the small body laying comfortably on the bed. He watched her closely, watching as her chest slowly moved up and down as she took tiny breaths. Her eyes were moving ever so slightly behind closed lids, and he could tell she was dreaming. The color in her face was nearly gone now, making her appear as if she had already passed on. If it weren't for the light pink patches on her cheeks, one could easily assume she was a corpse.

He slowly began to walk over to her bedside, wanting desperately to touch her, to comfort her. Upon closer inspection, Gajeel noticed small goosebumps raising on her skin. It took everything he had not to scoop her up right then and give her every ounce of body heat he contained. Instead, he reached down and pulled the blankets carefully up over her shoulders, and tucked them lightly around her. She began to stir a little under his hands, and he quickly froze, his eyes immediately shooting up to her face.

But her eyes remained closed.

It hurt him to see her like this, more than he would ever willingly admit. He felt a sudden tightness in his throat, followed closely by a nagging burn in his eyes. He wasn't going to cry, not here and not now. Nobody was going to see him like this, especially not Lily. And Mavis only knows who else would tease him in the guild if Makarov let it slip. Probably that flamebrain for sure. Alberona, maybe. And those two clowns Levy was always with. And he sure as hell wasn't going to stand for that.

"Alright, Cat. You win." He muttered. "I'll do it."

"As I knew you would," Lily said with a genuine smile on his face. "But first, I think you should get some rest yourself, Gajeel. The process of decontamination is going to be extremely taxing on your body."

"Don't wanna," Gajeel said, taking a seat in his chair by the bed. "Besides, we don't have a lot of time left, now do we?"

"She's not going out without a fight, Gajeel, we all know that. She'll be hanging on for you. That's something I can promise."

"Alright, alright, fine, whatever. I'll probably have devil woman and Titania drag me out of here anyway if I don't go. But...give me just...ten minutes alone with her. That's all I ask."

Both Makarov and Lily stared blankly at Gajeel, his request only slightly surprising to both of them.

"Don't make me say please," Gajeel all but begged.

"I'll tell the girls to leave you be, but only for the time you requested." Makarov said, sighing and smiling. "Please, be careful Gajeel."

"See you at home, partner." Lily said, turning into his chibi form and walking out of the infirmary beside the master.

Gajeel waited until he heard the door of the infirmary close before releasing the breath he didn't realize he was holding. His eyes made their way back to Levy, and he stared at her, burning her every detail into his memory. If anything were to go wrong, and she didn't make it, he wanted to make sure he remembered everything about her.

But he knew things would work. Because he believed it, and he wanted it. And just like Lily said, there wasn't anyone in all of Fiore who's desire to save Levy McGarden was stronger than his own.

Before he was even aware of it, his ten minute window was nearly up. With one final sigh, he stood up and carefully placed a soft, loving kiss on Levy's forehead and checking her blankets once again to make sure she wouldn't freeze.

"Hang in there, Shrimp. I promise, I'll get you back to normal." he whispered.

With those words, he turned on his heel to make his leave. As much as he didn't want to leave her side, he knew Lily would be expecting him home. And he knew he would soon be hunted if he stuck around too much longer.

He reached the door to exit the infirmary and reached for the knob before a soft, tiny voice stopped him dead in his tracks.

"Gajeel..."

His eyes widened, and his entire body felt numb. But there was no mistaking it. That voice belonged to her.

And it was music to his ears.

He spun his head around quick enough for it to crack a little, but he didn't care.

But what he saw wasn't what he thought it would be.

She was still asleep.

But this time, it was different.

This time, her lips were curled upright.

"Gajeel..." she muttered again, her lips forming the most petite and beautiful smile the Iron Dragon had ever seen.

He felt his own heart begin to beat fast, almost uncontrollably so. He let out a small chuckle and rubbed the back of his neck, now becoming a little achey.

"I'll be back, Levy. I made a promise, and I'm sticking to it."

* * *

**And there you have it. I was actually able to complete another chapter during this busy week! **  
**I will say that it might be a little while before the next update, mostly because i'm not 100% sure on how i'm going to continue this story without it ending really horrible. So I want to take my time and make sure this turns out right so I don't disappoint any of you lovely readers and followers. ^_^  
**

**I was asked in a review as to why I made this story rated "T", and to be honest, I have no idea. I just kinda picked a rating without thinking, I guess? **

**Thank you again for following along! Until the next chapter! **


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